The Philosopher's Formula
by OrbThesela
Summary: The prequel to Twists in the road, the story of just how the Dark Trio and Nott got their hands on the formula, expect this oen to come less quickly than the other two I have going.
1. Chapter 1

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Title: The Philosopher's Formula

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Disclaimer: In case you have been living in a cave on mars with your fingers in your ears for the last ten years or so; JK Rowling owns Harry Potter and all terms and characters associated with the fandom. I only own the story, some characterisations and an occasional OC, I try to limit them as much as possible. Song lyrics which may crop up now and then will be attributed as appropriate.

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Summary: The prequel to Twists in the road, the story of just how the Dark Trio and Nott got their hands on the formula, expect this oen to come less quickly than the other two I have going.

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Warnings: Rated M because I don't trust myself, expect bad language at the minimum, violence, substance abuse, sexual scenes may turn up, but I'm not promising anything.

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A/N: If you are thinking about suggesting that I stole this idea from JK Rowling, then I REALLY wouldn't. As anyone who was with me during the original story will be able to tell you, I had this idea MONTHS before Deathly Hallows came out.

For Sugar and all those crazy enough to actually be interested in this trilogy.

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Chapter 1

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"Listen to the wind blow  
Watch the sun rise

Run in the shadows  
Damn your love  
Damn your lies

And if  
You don't love me now  
You will never love me again  
I can still hear you saying  
You would never break the chain "

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Tantric - The Chain

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Theodore Nott smiled to himself as he locked the door to the Hogsmeade branch of Snelson, Bolton and Bobbin, he hadn't been looking for anything in particular to break the chain of monotonous tasks he was reluctantly doing as the lawyers office boy. In fact, he had assumed that archiving old will's and testimonials would be the most boring job one could posses baring serving drinks in the Hog's head. But when he had come across something he never thought would ever be a source of interest, he quite dramatically changed his opinion.

Most of the will's in the office read like; '_I Philippa Calvin being of sound mind and body do hereby leave my collection of porcelain cats to Samuel Sniggins…_' So it had come to him as a slight shock when the words; _formula _and _Philosopher's stone, _had jumped out from the page at him. He had done a double take and then carefully re-read the page. It definitely said that, checking the heading at the top he read the name Nicolas Flamel, something in the back of his memory tugged but he wasn't going to think about that right then, all he could think of was what he could achieve if he could construct his own stone, he shook his head with a laugh. There was no way he could get inside Gringott's on his own and retrieve such a thing. But maybe if he planned things out, he could find a way.

It didn't seem to take as long as it usually did to trudge the walk all the way from Hogsmeade high street to the castle entrance, maybe it was because his brain was already swimming with ideas, the things he could do if only. He was slightly more sensible than to attempt such a foolhardy thing on his own though. Maybe inspiration would hit him if he tried one of the 'think clear' potions he's been working on for his NEWT's, although he still hadn't tested them, there would be two unknowing volunteer's waiting in his dorm room if they were drunk enough. And know Malfoy and Zabini, chances were good.

Nott opened the door to the boy's dorm room, he wasn't surprised to see that the two minions were sound asleep in their bed's, the sound of snoring however unheard because of the silencing charm which had been placed there at the insistence of the other three occupants. Malfoy and Zabini however were wide awake and seemingly enjoyed a bottle or three by the look's of the empties, of Ogden's firewhiskey and playing what appeared to be some sort of card game.

Blaise looked at him as he entered the room, just briefly before laying the two of spades onto the pile of card's between the two boys and saying. "Pick up two mate, you really suck at this game." Both of them smirked at one another and Draco looked at Nott with a gleam in his eye, like someone had just bequeathed him a life times supply of firewhiskey, which could only mean he had come up with yet another way of mentally torturing the Slytherin loner.

"Joining us for a drink Nott? Game of Jacks, two's and eights?"

Nott smirked to himself why not, he needed to get his mind of the formula which seemed to be haunting his thought's if he could just get his hands on it. "You know Malfoy, I think I will." As Nott moved across the room to sit the end of Zabini's bed, he noted to himself that Draco could not look more shocked if he had donned a pink tutu and started dancing the fandango. Nott picked up a discarded glass, after half a bottle, the other two normally gave up on such things as glasses and he filled it with a good quantity of red coloured liquid from the bottle which was being held to out to him by jaw dropped Blaise.

"So, how do you play this game then?"

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Author's Notes:

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I know this is shockingly short for a first chapter, but fear not, the next chapter will not be as such. I have a plan, it's not particularly cunning, but it is a plan non the less.

Please R&R. If you haven't read Twist's in the road and have come across this story, then please have a look at my page and read it, as this is a prequel but it might make more sense reading the other story first.


	2. Chapter 2

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Disclaimer: In case you have been living in a cave on mars with your fingers in your ears for the last ten years or so; JK Rowling owns Harry Potter and all terms and characters associated with the fandom. I only own the story, some characterisations and an occasional OC, I try to limit them as much as possible. Song lyrics which may crop up now and then will be attributed as appropriate.

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Chapter 2

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"Your conniving words  
Are childishly insane  
To get what you want  
You'll say anything  
In your mind  
You lust to control me  
You lust  
For control"

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Fear Factory - Manipulation

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It did not take him long.

Blaise and Draco had already worked their way through a decent amount of firewhiskey by the time that Nott had joined in their card game. The sheer shock of him joining them had provoked the boys to consume several large mouthfuls and to their surprise, Nott had been trying his best to keep up.

Blaise had revealed to Nott in a somewhat drunken rant that he had been going through his post and was well aware that he had now taken a job working for the lawyers in Hogsmeade as their office boy. Something about the phrase amused Blaise endlessly and he keep repeating it to himself, causing him to giggle in an unnaturally high pitched tone. The sight of which was driving Draco to distraction and what had started as a mild smirk at the boys actions had turned into a full on laughing fit. The contagiousness of which seemed to be spreading to Nott himself who soon started laughing with them, a sight that, if anyone who knew the three Slytherins had walked in on would cause them to back out of the room slowly and seek out the school nurse to make sure they weren't going crazy.

Somewhere along the lines of laughing and firewhiskey the card game had become long forgotten and the conversation had turned into an informal probing session on the parts of Draco and Blaise, two purebloods who would probably be forced into such an employment as an office boy in their lives.

"But right…" Blaise wobbled to the right slightly as he retrieved an unopened bottle of alcohol from the floor and pointed at Nott with his free hand, trying to emphasise a poin the hadn't made yet. "What's it _like? _It must be dull as fuck right? Right? You can't be doing anything interesting in there? Unless… unless you've got an office _girl _in there your fingering?"

Draco rolled his eyes but chuckled at his friends drunken statement, nearly falling off the bed as he pictured in his mind some girl who would actually allow Nott to perform such an action on them.

Nott laughed a little at the statement, he had intended to remain sober throughout this state of affairs, but the pureblood boys were generous with their firewhiskey when already drunk and had been plying him with it since he had said he would join in their game. Nott had the feeling that if he was a girl, he would have had to deal with fighting off Zabini in some sort of bizarre mating ritual. Having to share a room with him for the past years, he was positive the boy was straight, even with the amount of time he spent with Malfoy. The sheer number of girls he had heard giggling from the drawn curtains or the amount of women's underwear that had somehow kept turning up all over the room was too large in number to ignore.

Nott looked to the dark skinned Slytherin, opening his mouth to answer his question and wave off the assumption of Blaise that manual labour could only be worth it if there was going to be some fanny fun involved but instead he let out a large belch which lead to another round of laughing from all the boys and did not subside till their sides ached. Eventually managing to squeeze out a 'no' Nott knew his inhibitions were long gone and found himself wanting to divulge the information he had uncovered in the lawyers office. After all, he assumed, there would be no harm in mentioning it and breaking into Gringotts was unheard of. "Actually I found something interesting today…."

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"BOLLOCKS!"

Draco landed on top of Blaise which tipped him over, sending Nott to the bottom of the pile of boys now at the foot of the girl's dormitory stairs. In their drunken state, they had all forgotten that boys were not allowed up and they would have to find another way of getting up than attempting to run up them really quickly.

By that time in the evening, the idea of breaking into Gringotts had long since gone from drunken whimsy to full out plan. And they needed to speak to Pansy.

Although they were having trouble actually remaining on their feet without the aid of keeping each other aloft, it seemed like something that could not wait till morning and not they all stood, looking up at the stairs which had corrected themselves, trying to figure out a way of getting up them without once again falling flat on their arses.

Draco attempted to place his hands on either side of the wall, eventually and reluctantly putting the bottle of firewhiskey he had been carrying on the floor and encouraging the other two to copy him. A silent plan had somehow become agreed between them to put their feet on either side of the wall and attempt to climb up the stairs that way. It could have perhaps worked had it not been for the ensuing laughter it prompted from each of them as they attempted the task which woke one Millicent Bulstrode who seemed to appear from nowhere wearing a worn green terry cloth dressing gown and curlers in her hair before them, the sight of which caused Draco to lose his balance, sending all three tumbling back down to the bottom of the stairs again.

As Millicent stood on the stair, scowling with anger at the sight of the three intoxicated roommates, in fits of laughter, a voice rose from the pile asking her if she would mind fetching Pansy.

"What the HELL do you three think your doing? You bunch of wankers!" Pansy appeared now beside Millicent, looking as angry as she, along with half the girls in the dorms had been woken by the noise caused from the three Slytherin males attempting to make it to the top. With slightly bleary eyes, she stormed down the steps, grabbing Draco by the arm and forcing to his feet.

"Hullo Pans…"

"Don't you bloody 'hullo' me Draco Malfoy!" From the floor, Blaise tittered, attempting to stand up himself and somehow also aid Nott to his feet while Pansy threw them both a dirty look. "And you can shut up Zabini." Noticing for the first time that Nott was among their number, she raised an eytebrow in curiosity. "And I thought you knew better than to get drunk with these two Theodore Nott. Come on, the lot of you!"

The boys found themselves being pulled into the common room by one very angry Pansy and as she tried to return to the girls dorms, found herself being pulled down onto one of the settees they had managed to make it to by Blaise and found herself stuck between him and Draco who had both pinned her down with arms around her shoulders and were now attempting to whisper to her in the their drunken state. If she had, had the sense to bring her wand with her, she would have hexed them into oblivion.

"Pans, Pans… shhhhh….. We need to talk to you…. Shhhh….. Shhh… We have this plan. It's Nott's idea, it's a brilliant plan…."

"Oh merlin, what are you lot getting me into this time?"

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Author's Notes:

Well dear readers, I'm not 100 happy with this chapter, but I rewrote it about 3 times and chopped off how I originally ended it and I am a lot happier with it now.

There is more to come soon, but I'm taking my time with this one. So be patient with me and watch this space, chapter 3 should turn up soon…..


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